Mars Mission M-MATISSE, Solar Secrets with SNIFS, and Neil Armstrong's Apollo Mementos Revealed

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Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your daily dose of cosmic

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insights. I'm Anna and I'm thrilled to guide you

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through today's exciting developments in space exploration.

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We've got a packed show for you, starting with ambitious new

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missions aiming to unravel the mysteries of Mars and the Sun.

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We'll also bring you the latest updates on Boeing's

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Starliner capsule, including its recent challenges

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and what's next for the spacecraft. Plus, we'll take

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a fascinating historical peek into the personal mementos

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carried aboard Apollo 11 by none other than Neil Armstrong

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himself. So let's dive right in.

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First up, let's talk about Mars and a fascinating

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proposed mission that could be a game changer for future

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human exploration of the Red Planet. It's called

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M-MATISSE, which stands for Mars Magnetosphere,

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Atmosphere, Ionosphere and Space Weather Science.

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This mission is vying for a spot as the European Space

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Agency's next medium mission, with a decision

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expected by mid-2026. If it

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gets the green light, M. MATISSE would be the very first

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mission solely dedicated to understanding planetary

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space weather at Mars. Preparing to send

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astronauts to Mars means we need a really deep understanding of the

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conditions they'll face when they arrive. That's exactly

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what M. MATISSE aims to provide. The concept

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involves launching two robotic orbiters,

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aptly named Henri and Marguerite, to

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profoundly investigate Mars's atmosphere and

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surrounding environment. These two identical

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spacecraft, each carrying the same set of instruments,

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would observe the Red Planet simultaneously from two

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different locations in space. Henry would

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primarily explore within the Martian plasma system, while

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Marguerite would mainly operate in the solar wind and Mars

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far tail, a region that's largely unexplored.

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Together, they'd probe several critical layers, including

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the magnetosphere, which is the region controlled by

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Mars's magnetic field. The ionosphere,

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a high altitude layer filled with charged particles,

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and the thermosphere, where atmospheric gases

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escape into space. They would also examine

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conditions in the lower atmosphere and crucially,

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monitor radiation accumulation.

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Dr. Beatrice Sanchez Cano from the

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University of Leicester, who is spearheading this international

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effort, emphasises just how vital this mission

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is. She explains that M. MATISSE will

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offer the first global characterization of the

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dynamics of the Martian system at all

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altitudes. This is crucial for understanding

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how the atmosphere dissipates incoming energy from the

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solar wind, including radiation, and

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how space weather impacts surface processes.

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This understanding is absolutely essential for safe

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exploration. It will lead to accurate space weather

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forecasts, helping to prevent hazardous situations for

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both spacecraft and human explorers on the Red planet.

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Much like how space weather monitoring on Earth protects our

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systems and astronauts beyond

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safety, the mission also promises to shed further light

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on Mars's habitability and the evolution of its

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atmosphere and climate change. It will reveal how

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the solar wind influences Mars atmosphere,

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ionosphere and magnetosphere and

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investigate the impact of these interactions on the lower

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atmosphere and surface. The UK is playing

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a leading role in the mission selection phase,

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particularly with responsibility for the Particle Instrument

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Suite, which will provide the most accurate observations

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to date of all particles at Mars, including

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neutrals, ions and electrons.

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The UK will also be home to the Missions Science Centre,

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coordinating its scientific planning and data

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exploitation. So EM Metis

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represents a vital step toward making human landings on

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Mars safer and more feasible by giving us an

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unprecedented look at its complex space weather environment.

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It's definitely a mission to watch out for.

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From understanding Mars, we now turn our gaze to our

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own star, the sun and and an exciting

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upcoming mission set to unveil some of its deepest

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secrets. In July, NASA will launch

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the groundbreaking Solar Eruption Integral Field

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Spectrograph mission, or SNIFS. This

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mission, delivered to space via a Black Brant

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IX sounding rocket, will explore the energy and

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dynamics of the chromosphere, one of the most complex and

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enigmatic regions of the sun's atmosphere. The launch

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window for SNIFS opens today at the White Sands Missile Range

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in New Mexico. The chromosphere sits between the

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sun's visible surface, or photosphere, and its

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outermost layer, the corona. While

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we've researched the sun's atmospheric layers

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extensively, many questions about the

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chromosphere persist. As Philip

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Chamberlain, a UH research scientist at the University of

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Colorado, Boulder and principal investigator for the SNIFS

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mission, put it, there's still a lot of

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unknowns. This layer is particularly

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important because it lies just below the corona, where

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powerful solar flares and massive coronal mass

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ejections, or CMEs, are observed. These

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dramatic solar eruptions are the primary drivers of space

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weather hazardous conditions in Near Earth space

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that can threaten satellites and endanger astronauts.

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The SNIFFS mission aims to learn more about how energy

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is converted and moves through the chromosphere,

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ultimately powering these massive explosions.

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Understanding this process is vital for accurately modelling space

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weather and ensuring the safety of Earth and our space assets.

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What makes SNIFFS truly innovative is that it's the

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first ever solar ultraviolet Integral Field

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Spectrograph. This advanced technology

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ingeniously combines an imager and a

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spectrograph into a single instrument.

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Imagers are great for capturing wide views and

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combined light, while spectrographs dissect light into

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its various wavelengths, revealing crucial

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details like element presence, temperature and movement.

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But typically only from one point at a time.

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SNIFFS gives scientists the best of both worlds, pushing the

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limits of what technology allows us to do in solar

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observation. The mission will focus on

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specific wavelengths known as spectral

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lines, particularly a hydrogen line that's

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the brightest in the sun's ultraviolet spectrum,

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along with two spectral lines from silicon and

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oxygen. Data from these lines will help

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scientists trace how solar material and energy move through the

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chromosphere, revealing how it connects with the sun's

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upper atmosphere. Sounding rockets like the Black

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Brant IX are efficient tools for launching space

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experiments and also provide invaluable hands on experience

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for students and early career researchers.

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As Vicky Herda, a AH doctoral graduate who worked on

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sniffs, noted, you can really try some

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wild things, emphasising the unique learning

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opportunities these missions offer. The

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entire SNIFS mission is designed to be incredibly

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fast, likely lasting only about 15

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minutes from launch to landing. The sounding

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rocket will take about 90 seconds to reach space and

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point toward the sun, then perform its 7

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to 8 minute experiment on the chromosphere before

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returning to Earth's surface. In three to five minutes,

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it's expected to drift about 70 to 80 miles from

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the launch pad, landing safely in the vast

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empty desert of white sands.

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After four years of dedicated work, the team behind sniffs,

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especially heard, is immensely excited for this pioneering

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launch from the exciting

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realm of solar observation.

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We now turn our attention to the more grounded yet

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equally complex world of crew transportation to the

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International Space Station, where Boeing's Starliner

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capsule has hit a few snags. While the ISS

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has been a hub of activity lately, with various

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spacecraft coming and going almost constantly,

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Starliner has been notably absent from the schedule

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for the remainder of 2025.

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Starliner launched on its first astronaut mission, known

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as the Crew flight test, or CFT, in

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June 2024. It carried NASA

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astronauts Sunita Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore

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to the ISS for what was originally expected to be about a

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week long stay. While Starliner had previously

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completed two uncrewed orbital flight tests, the

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CFT mission encountered unexpected challenges

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on its journey to the space station. Star Starliner

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experienced multiple helium leaks, which were traced

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to components within its protective enclosures called

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doghouses. Additionally, five

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out of its 28 reaction control system thrusters

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failed in flight. These issues led to

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Williams and Wilmore's stay aboard the ISS being

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extended multiple times while NASA and Boeing

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worked to troubleshoot the problems from the ground.

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Ultimately, out of an abundance of caution,

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the decision was made for Starliner to return to Earth

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without the astronauts aboard. Williams and

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Wilmore were then integrated into the ISS long

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term crew rotation and returned to Earth

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months later aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon

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rather than the Starliner they arrived on.

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Since its uncrewed return in September, NASA

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and Boeing have performed extensive analyses of the issues

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within Starliner's doghouses. They've slated

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affected components for rigorous evaluation at

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NASA's White Sands Test Facility this summer.

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Steve Stich, NASA's Commercial Crew Programme

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manager, explained that they are testing various

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materials to improve seals and prevent oxidizer

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vapour permeation, which was identified as a weakness.

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They are also performing pulse trains to cycle thruster

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burns at ah, varying intensities and frequencies

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to better understand temperature swings within the doghouses.

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Improvements have already been made, including thermal

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modifications like adding a shunt and other barriers

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to prevent heat from radiating back into the

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thruster clusters. These tests are crucial

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for refining thermal models for an integrated

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doghouse test, which will simulate thruster

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firings to fully understand heat dynamics.

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As for when Starliner might make its way back to the launch

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pad, the timeline has shifted.

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NASA officials are now working toward a flight no sooner than

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early 2026. It's also very

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likely that Starliner's next launch will be an uncrewed

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cargo flight first. This cargo mission would allow them

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to fully test all the changes being made to the

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doghouses and validate them in flight before

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risking astronauts on board again. NASA remains

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committed to Starliner as a critical part of ensuring

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redundant access to low Earth orbit for the United States,

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a goal that even SpaceX is reportedly cheering on.

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Finally today, let's take a look back at a truly historic moment

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in space exploration. For years, the contents

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of Neil Armstrong's personal preference kits carried aboard the

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Apollo 11 mission have held a certain mystique.

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These kits, known as PPKs, contained

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items that made the incredible journey to the moon.

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Now we have a clearer picture of what was inside.

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Detailed manifests of these personal items, which included

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various mementos intended for the mission's flight crew support

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team members, have been made public. These

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fascinating inventories are now housed at Purdue University,

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offering a unique and deeply personal glimpse into the

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souvenirs that travelled to the lunar surface. It's a

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wonderful way to connect with the personal side of such a monumental

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achievement. And that brings us to the

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end of today's Astronomy Daily. Thank you for

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tuning in. I'm Anna, your host,

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and it's been a pleasure sharing these cosmic updates with

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you. Don't forget to visit our website at Astronomy

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Daily dot IO There you can sign up for

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our free daily newsletter to stay up to date on all the

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latest space news and become a true completionist by

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catching up on all our back episodes. By the way, if

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you do achieve that goal, let me know and I'll give you a shout out on the

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show. You can also subscribe to Astronomy Daily

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on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,

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forward to having you join us again tomorrow. In the

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meantime, remember to keep looking up.